Jr Rev Squad - ONE SHOTS

The Violin - Part 1

JRS CANON

Susan was playing quietly with her dolls at the huge new house's living room. Her mother had married the ex-general Gilbert de Lafayette six months ago and the little 8 years old girl was still having problems in living with him and his son, Georges. Not that they were bad for her, pretty much the opposite, but the girl ended up building a barrier and not letting them get inside.

"Hey Miss Fitzherbit, did you see that huuuge unicorn outside my house?" She says softly, giving voice for the blond doll. "No Miss Grinnell I didn't, how is he?" She changes her voice a bit as raises the brunette doll. "Oh, it is the most amazing animal! You must see! And I've heard that-"

"Hey, Susan!" Lafayette says with a warm smile as he sits on the floor beside the kid and she raises her shoulders a bit, feeling uncomfortable. He gets it as she stays silent. "So you like unicorns? Me too!" She still keeps her eyes staring the wood floor and don't say a word. "Can I play with you? I can give Miss Fitzherbit a nice French accent."

The girl then hugs her dolls and run out of the room, climbing the stairs until reaching her room. The Frenchman sighs deeply. He was trying his best to get close to his stepdaughter and build a relationship with her, such as Maria, his new wife, and his son had but didn't have any success.

He felt a hand at his shoulder and looks up, smiling sadly at the sight Maria. She was the most gorgeous and kind woman he ever met in America. After he returned from France with his son, both still grieving for the loss of their beloved mother and wife, Maria was the light he needed.

"Are you ok, hun?" She asked concerned.

"I don't know what to do..." He confesses "We are married for 6 months now and she doesn't speak to me since we first met."

Maria knelt down beside him with a kind smile and a tighter grip at his shoulder "Just give her some time... She is not used having a caring and loving dad."

Everyone had heard about the Reynolds' family since the abusive man James was to his wife and daughter, the affair Maria was forced to had with Lafayette's old friend Alexander, their polemic divorce and finally James prison. Maria had a tough life and passed through a lot trying to protect her daughter and that was another reason Lafayette loves her so much, she was capable to do anything for the ones she loves.

Lafayette grabs Maria's hand and kisses it tenderly "I know mon chéri..."

She smiles again "You'll see, soon you two are gonna find something in common"

= Three weeks later=

Lafayette and Maria were walking the downtown streets holding hands as little Susan was holding her mom's hand tightly, afraid of the crowd. Once they got in front of the Law agency, Maria kneels in front of her daughter and puts a curl of the little one's hair behind her ear.

"Sweetheart, now I gotta do some stuff inside and I need you to stay with Gilbert, can you do this for me? I promise to be quick" Susan looks up at the tall man looking to somewhere else, then she looks back at her mom and nods as Maria smiles. "That's my girl" She says and kisses the girl's forehead.

Once Maria gets into the building, the two ones left stand there awkwardly as Susan hugs her doll and Lafayette tries to think in something as he sees a tent that would help him out.

"Well, what do you say about we get a lollipop for you?" He asks and Susan nods at him with sparkling eyes. "YES! Finally!" He thinks then bows and raises his hand at the little girl "May we mademoiselle?" Susan giggles and takes the man's hand.

He leads the girl through the crowd until they reach the lollipop tent and she chooses a red one. As Gilbert pays for the candy, Susan hears something coming from the crowd and looks around, curious, trying to find the origin of the sound. Until she finds it and is completely amazed by what she sees.

She pulls Gilbert's coat and points at the man which she couldn't take the eyes off. "What's that?" She softly asks.

Laff kneels beside her and gives her the lollipop; she grabs it but is hypnotized by the man standing in the middle of the park. "It's a violin. And that man is a violinist."

"Violin..." The girl repeats, completely forgetting about the candy in her hands. Lafayette smiles as he watches her reaction.

"It's beautiful isn't it?" He says also taking a look at the man playing.

"Yes..." She whispers like if she talks any louder it would interrupt the song.

"Do you wanna see it closer?" He whispers back in a playful way and she finally looks at him and nods as wide smile. "Ok, then. Let's go..." He grabs her hand and they sit on a nearby bench, the musician only a few steps away from them. Susan ate her candy and they kept sitting there for a long time, they didn't talk a thing, only appreciated the beautiful songs that man was filling the air with, until Lafayette got closer to Susan and asked "Do you wanna give him a coin?"

She looks at him and says "Can I?" He smiles and pulls a few coins out of his pocket, placing them at Susan's tiny hands. She looked at the coins, then at the musician, then at the floor. She was a shy girl and Gilbert knew it.

"I'll be watching from here" He says and Susan slowly nods before getting up. She slowly walked to the violinist and placed one coin per time at his violin case. Once she looked up at him, the man was smiling and made a whole new presentation around her. She was smiling widely and giggling as she was amazed by what was happening.

Gilbert was still sitting at the bench, smiling as he just appreciates the show, when he feels someone sitting beside him and he turns around to find an also smiling Maria, looking at her daughter, and then turns at him.

"Well, it seems like you two had fun" She says and he smiles more, full of joy.

"Yeah... It's what it seems..."